Considering answers to those faith-questions we all ask…
Category: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Within the spectrum of expression in the Christian Church the Charismatic movement provides many great and commendable blessings. It appeals to those whose character traits and preferences demand freedom and vitality. However, at and near its fringe there's something dark and destructive at work.
What is the mark of a good Christian? What is the evidence that he or she is living life they should live as a professing Christian? I've heard people say that the fruit of the Spirit is not enough to make you effective and legitimate: you need the gifts of the Spirit. You need to have a second blessing and to speak in tongues to be an effective Christian. Once again, the self-proclaimed spiritual giant has missed the most important fact which is what God has said on the matter through His word, the Bible.
Reading through Paul's letters I'm struck by how little he talks about the Holy Spirit, in comparison to the regularity with which the Spirit is spoken of and to in our present time in some circles, as though the object of our worship should be the Spirit above all else. To those of us who pay attention to the New Testament over "what God is saying to us today" there's a clear picture and a clear message in it for us all.
Do we need to have a feeling before we believe God is there? Do we have to see strange things happening which are unexplainable in ordinary everyday terms? Does something mystical have to happen before we can believe that there's a world just out of our sight? Is God hiding so that we need to hunt for Him?
From my earliest days as a Christian I've seen and heard confusing and conflicting things being preached on the subject of the Holy Spirit's work and ministry. I've witnessed others being in similar confusion and doubt. I found myself being discriminated against and looked down upon in the Church because I didn't have this and I couldn't do that. I was a second-class Christian at best in the eyes of the enlightened, super-spiritual ones, especially the ones who had decided that they were apostles.
Fuel for Faith, Food for Thought 